by Adam King HR Director and Senior Vice Admiral of Dad Jokes My family celebrated a lot of great traditions together, but birthdays weren’t one of them. We didn’t do birthday parties at all. The one time I had a “birthday cake” was actually two weeks after my birthday, and the cake was just something my cousin had made for 4H. To her credit, my mom still sends birthday cards to me and my brothers, although they usually arrive several months late. My family just never felt the need to make a big deal out of someone’s birthday. So, it was a total surprise to me when I got married and discovere ..read more

Recently, we were pleased to learn that Culinary Crafts has been selected as one of Utah’s 100 Companies Championing Women. This honor was given by Gov. Spencer J. Cox, the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, and the Utah Women & Leadership Project as part of an initiative supporting women in the workplace. In their notification letter, the Governor’s Office complimented Culinary Crafts for the company’s “diversity in leadership roles, pay equality efforts, flexible work schedules, mentorship and professional development programs for women, and family leave policies.” Championing ..read more

by Alan Starks Field Kitchen Manager One of my favorite things about Culinary Crafts is the eclectic mix of people here. I work elbow to elbow with college kids and college professors, musicians, attorneys, writers, realtors picking up work on the side, stay-at-home moms who are sick of staying at home, culinary school graduates, beauty school dropouts, and even the occasional bum like me! It’s amazing how friendships form when people come together under the pressure of catering a big event. Besides the diverse people I’ve met, working at Culinary Crafts has also introduced me to a wide varie ..read more

Delicious salmon spread with cream cheese and onion on whole grain bread slices If you ever watched Chef Anthony Bourdain eating his way around the world in one of his hit TV shows like No Reservations or Parts Unknown, you understand why he was known for his genuineness, wit, and love for food and the people he shared it with. As Anthony Bourdain Day (June 25th) approaches, we offer this reminiscence of Chef Bourdain from our Culinary Director, Brandon Roddy. Back in 2010, the two chefs met when Bourdain visited Utah’s Sundance ski resort. Brandon was Sundance’s Purchasing Director at the ..read more

Okay, let’s be honest. There is no “perfect” way to make a steak. Grilling, pan-searing, oven broiling, smoking, reverse searing, steak tartare…there are lots of great ways to prepare a steak, and they all can lead to perfectly delicious results. But, in honor of Father’s Day, we want to share with you what is perhaps the “manliest” thing you can do with steak: dirty grilling. Dirty Grilling What is dirty grilling? It’s the simplest way to cook a steak. You simply slap it down right on top of the hot coals and enjoy hearing your guests gasp. Okay, it’s not quite that simple. But it’s close. A ..read more

Question: What do you get when you give Culinary Crafts chefs license to make anything they want? Answer: Magic! We held this special Chef’s Dinner event in our own Pleasant Grove kitchen so that diners would have a ring-side seat to see innovation and culinary creativity conjured right before their eyes. A foyer full of playful smoke and bubbles set the mood for an evening of adventure and fun. As guests met and mingled, they were treated to bubbly champagne with smoked trout and caviar hors d’oeuvres. Appetizers Meanwhile, in the kitchen our chefs were already hard at work concocting some ..read more

Whenever we garnish a dish with marigolds or drop a pansy into a cocktail drink, at least one guest will inevitably ask “Can we eat the flowers?” The answer is “Yes! Yes, you can.” In fact, you can do a lot more than eat these flowers, if you know what you’re doing! We’ll show you how edible flowers can be a simple, sophisticated way to add color, flavor, and fun to any meal. But first, a little quirky history! A Brief History of Edible Flowers If you grew up sipping the nectar from honeysuckles or daring your friends to eat a dandelion, you already know about edible flowers. But you might n ..read more

by Amber King Wedding and Event Specialist I’ve always loved making birthdays and holidays special for my family and friends, often by preparing one of their favorite treats. One year, in high school, I thought I would surprise my best friend and make her some Banana Crumb Muffins for her birthday. I got up early and followed the recipe that I had made many times before. The dough started to look a little odd—I didn’t remember it looking this chunky before—but it had always turned out fine, so I figured it was probably okay. When I took the muffins out of the oven, they still looked a little ..read more

by Harvest Hale Events Team Made With Love My grandmother is an amazing woman! Maren Hale—or Mun, as the grandkids call her—is always thinking of others and has charity towards all. She regularly sends thank you notes and gifts to each of her 44 grandchildren, and her gifts are always chosen with great thought, not to mention being color-coordinated, themed, and wrapped in a beautiful basket! Mun’s homemade birthday and thank you cards always have paper punched hearts and a little symbol on the back that says “Halemark: Made with Love.” As the mother of eight children, Mun always looks for op ..read more

Big news! The International Caterers Association has awarded Culinary Crafts the Catie prize for Best Catered Event of the Year. In the catering and hospitality world, that’s like winning the Oscar for Best Picture. To learn more about this event, read on. The Best Catered Event of 2023 This event was an outdoor adventure full of food, fishing, and fun. In planning this event, we were inspired by Henry David Thoreau who “went to the woods” not to escape life but to live life more deeply. In the rush of everyday life, it’s easy to become numb and to do things out of routine habit. Even the wa ..read more